We have all come across the terms conscious and subconscious mind at some point in our lives. Our subconscious brain has something called the homeostatic impulse, which regulates our physical functions like body temperature, blood pressure, etc. Brian Tracy explains: the autonomic nervous system, [our homeostatic impulse] maintains a balance among the hundreds of chemicals in billions of cells so that our entire physical machine functions in complete harmony most of the time
However, what most of us don’t realize is that the subconscious mind not only controls the physical machine, it also controls our mental self.
The way we perceive things depends on what is stored in our subconscious mind. We think we create thoughts and make decisions from our conscious mind, but 90 percent of our conscious mind is driven by our subconscious storage. This is very significant to understand because whatever you set out for yourself as a goal, if the conscious and subconscious goals don’t match, it is the subconscious that will win out every time. For example, if you have grown up thinking ‘lack’, you will hoard – this hoarding can show up in multiple ways, you could hoard fat on your body, clothes in your cupboard, spare parts in your garage. If you grow up with the fear of failure, you could fear taking any actions that have any chance of failure. If you have grown up hearing ‘Money is the root of all evil’, then financial abundance will evade you no matter how much your conscious mind believes it wants to be rich.
It is amusing how our subconscious mind works. When we are young, we are in a state where everything we see and hear gets recorded without any filters. Children exist in a highly programmable theta state, and record vast amounts of information they need to survive in their environment, but they do not have the capacity to consciously evaluate the information while it is being downloaded. So, every childhood memory and experience sits in our subconscious and has an effect on our adult life. From birth to age six, we function almost entirely from our subconscious minds. That is, we have no real ability to judge what’s going on around us. Therefore, everything we hear and experience, every interaction with others, absolutely everything lands in our subconscious minds, like a complete download. Whatever you hear at this stage or experience will become an absolute truth for you.
This is a quote that is just right to explain the power of the subconscious mind: “As you sow in your subconscious mind, so shall you reap in your body and environment.”― Joseph Murphy, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind –
Now that we know how the subconscious mind works, here is what parents can do to make sure you are sending the right signals
1. List down the top five values and beliefs one would like to inculcate in a child and then consciously reinforce them.
2. Vocabulary plays a key role in what the child is taking in- some common words that can be rephrased are:
· Picky – Selective
· Stubborn – Determined
· Bossy – Leader
· Nosey – Curious
· Loud – Enthusiastic
3. When the child faces a difficult situation speak to them and guide them towards taking learnings from the experience and moving forward.
4. reinforce positive thoughts and encourage them at all times. Give them the confidence of being able to do anything.
5. the unconscious mind is affected by stories we tell, teach children to create internal and external stories.
6. Don’t allow personal fears to cast shadows of doubts in the mind of the child, let them explore and experience things for themselves.
7. Let children create a vision board for themselves. Different things they want to achieve in the next year. Pictures reinforce and keep reminding the brain of one’s goals.
8. Have realistic expectations from children. This lets them enjoy what they are doing, rather than be pressurized to perform
9. Look for signs where a child is starting to build negative beliefs and work towards reframing them.
Remember that the subconscious mind is like a monkey without a leash. It can go on a rampage if it is not trained to behave itself. These small steps that one works on with children will give them the right foundation they need. Their brain cells will store information that is reinforcing rather than destructive.
To end this article I would like to use a quote: “Never finish a negative statement; reverse it immediately, and wonders will happen in your life.”― Joseph Murphy, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind